Some events, such as insurance claims and litigation, have traditionally been tracked and managed using paper files. These files typically include various documents relating to the event, as well as notes and other paperwork that are associated with the event. In addition, the file may be organized in some manner to enable a user to track various components of the event. Although paper files are generally secure and capable of being stored over long periods of time, they have significant drawbacks.
For example, if an event is particularly complex, the paper file may become very large, or may need to be separated into several files. Such an arrangement increases the likelihood that a part of the file may become lost. In addition, a paper file cannot be easily shared by several users, especially if the users are not in the same location.
Another area in which paper files are lacking is the maintenance of event-related documents. Using an automobile insurance claim as an example of an event, a document may be a picture of an accident scene. If a user (e.g., an insurance representative) needs to take notes with respect to the picture, the user may simply write on the picture itself. If an unaltered version of the picture is subsequently needed, the photographer may need to be contacted, or the picture retaken. Alternatively, the user would have to store an unaltered copy of the document in the file, along with the altered version, which would increase the size of the file and again increase the likelihood that a part of the file would become lost or disorganized. A further shortcoming of paper-based files is the inability to easily maintain cross-references between documents and the parts of the file to which the files pertain. This shortcoming is particularly pronounced as the size of the file increases and portions of the file change, as it requires a great deal of effort to manually maintain the accuracy of the file.
Some efforts have been made to create electronic files, but conventional electronic file systems lack the ability to associate electronic documents with the event in a logical fashion. Rather, the documents typically are listed in an electronic folder that is assigned to the event. A user that needs to access a document would have to access the folder and then inspect the documents, normally by using the names given to each document, to ascertain their relevance to the event.